Menasha Corp. (CONT’D FROM PAGE 22)
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
them “the first mass corrugated box producers in the Unit- ed States.” However, the railroads, the predominant carriers of freight in that era, objected to the introduction of pa- per-based packaging and began charging a tariff on prod- ucts packaged in it. A landmark decision for the future of the corrugated box as a shipping container came in 1914 with the Pridham case in which the Interstate Commerce Commission ruled that there were no differences between the movement of commodities in fiber and wood boxes and thereby removed the added tariff. This decision paved the way for the young corrugated box industry to compete with its wooden counterparts. It was thus, in 1927, that Menasha Wooden Ware, seeing shrinking demand for its wood-based packaging, converted a four-story butter-tub warehouse into its first corrugated box plant. The corru- gator installed was from the Samuel M. Langston Co., and its principal linerboard supplier at the time was the John Strange Paper Co. of Menasha. According to author Shaw, the company struggled in its early years but recovered even as the Great Depression gripped the nation. Although the company grew into prof- itability, Menasha was dependent on outside suppliers of linerboard and corrugating medium. Lacking the capital to build its own mill but seeking more control over its sources of supply, Menasha in 1939 acquired a stake in the Otsego Falls Paper Mill, a manufacturer of linerboard and medium located in Otsego, Michigan. Then, beginning in the 1940s, the company expanded its converting capacity through box plant acquisition, starting with Durham Container Co. in North Carolina. And in what could have been the pro- totype for today’s sheet-supplier or joint mill-ownership consortia, Menasha and four local box companies in 1946 purchased the John Strange Paper Co., the original suppli- er to its flagship plant in Menasha. The corrugated box industry was propelled by a post- war economic boom, and vertical integration was a prin- cipal driver of the industry’s capital investment decisions. Shaw, in Living Our Values, writes that during this time, Menasha expanded west, with the 1954 construction of a greenfield corrugated box plant in Anaheim, California. Concurrently, the company parleyed its timberland hold- ings in the Pacific Northwest into lumber and building prod- ucts for the postwar housing boom as well as constructing a corrugating medium mill in North Bend, Oregon, to serve the expanding West Coast box market. The company still operated under the name Menasha Wooden Ware Corp., until 1957, when Menasha shipped its last wooden product and closed its wooden products arm. In 1962, the compa- ny changed its name to Menasha Corp. Today, Menasha Corp. consists of two principal di- visions: Menasha Packaging and ORBIS (see sidebar below). Overall, it has nine corrugated printing and con- verting sites across North America. Each of these sites
ARC INTERNATIONAL www.ARCInternational.com
ARC International is a world leader in the manufacturing of roller products for flexography. The latest nano-technology laser engraving in our NC and NV manufacturing facilities ensures superior quality and consistency in anilox rollers.
AES (ADVANCED EQUIPMENT SALES) www.aesales.net
AES is a leading full-service provider of integrated convey- ance systems specializing in scrap, trim, and dust. AES en- gineers custom scrap systems and works as a partner in process improvement to help businesses achieve greater profitability, productivity, and sustainability. Products include balers, shredders/hoggers, core shredders, filters, fans, and specialized dust control and collection systems. AES is the ex- clusive distributor for the AirShark Rotary Material Separator. For a wide variety of new and used equipment on to- day’s market, visit our website at www.acm-corp.com. BAUMER HHS CORPORATION www.baumerhhs.com hhs is a global leader in advanced gluing, camera verifica- tion and quality assurance systems for the packaging indus- try. Zero-defect quality and elevated production speeds are key parameters in the manufacturing of corrugated boxes. With hhs Xcam Box Monitoring and non-contact flap gluing of corrugated board, hhs offers every option for quality as- surance in the production of boxes with flexo folder gluers. AMERICAN CORRUGATED MACHINE www.acm-corp.com BLOWER APPLICATION COMPANY (BLOAPCO) www.BloApCo.com BloApCo has served the corrugated industry since 1933 with a variety of scrap handling solutions, including Hori- zontal Floor Shredders, Trim Cutters, and Material Handling Fans and Conveying Systems. BloApCo Shredders allow for continuous shredding and pneumatic removal of sheet waste stacks of all sizes, roll slab, cores, and carton scrap.
CORRUGATED MACHINERY SPECIALISTS www.cmsretrofits.com
Leading manufacturer and installer of quality retrofits, up- grades and replacement parts for S&S and Prime Flexo Folder Gluers. Specialists in reconditioning of S&S Flexo Folder Gluers, including ink, air and electrical systems.
CORRUGATOR BELT SERVICE LLC www.corrugator.com
Serving the corrugated box industry since 1991, Chicago- based Corrugator Belt Service LLC maintains corru- gator belts for peak board quality and performance.
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December 9, 2024
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